Chasing Koko

I think I am giddy because I have had a LONG and mildly stressful week in RL thanks to work and it is FRIDAY! I love looking at my friends’ Flickr streams and appreciating their work. I came across one by my dear friend (and sim-mate) Nariko and I was inspired to mimic her. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery right? *winks* Here is Nariko’s (aka Koko) image, posted today in honor of the latest issue of Style Kingdom, which is the debut for both of us in this wonderful publication. Click HERE to see Nariko and click HERE to see me…we both had the pleasure of being photographed by the very talented Pam Astonia. So here is my rendition, done in what I affectionately call “Koko Style.” (I hope you can see by now that my legacy name was not completely off base! *chuckles*)

I need to get sappy for a moment. As I felt the urge to snap the above photo I found myself suddenly quite reflective. Nariko and I met as models in AVENUE’s Model Academy, and our friendship has blossomed beautifully since. Even before VISIONAIRE was a reality, she took it upon herself to teach me about SL photography, improved my photo taking abilities exponentially, and made me love location shooting. I value her and our friendship so much and I feel so lucky to have her in my life.

When I was shooting for Style Kingdom, I shared with Pam that being published like this was one of my biggest SL modeling dreams. I fought hard to earn my place among the talented models of Style Kingdom and felt once I had won the 2nd public casting that I had finally “arrived.” So this issue has a very special place in my heart. I have to thank all of the judges again who were a part of both castings, but namely Dougie for putting me through the most rigorous styling challenges I had ever faced as a young model. I grew so much through that series of castings, his very honest critiques pushing me to grow as a model and stylist. Through those castings I also got to meet Pam and Kiana…incredibly supportive and encouraging women who made the journey all the better. So thank you Style Kingdom, for challenging me and welcoming me as a full fledged model. I look forward to a long relationship with you.

Thank you for reading and allowing me to share a bit more of me with you.

“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.” ~ Dalai Lama XIV